A communication network provides communication links among a set of nodes. Examples of communication networks include the Internet, an intranet, a public network, a private network, a wide area network, a local area network, an ad hoc network, mesh network, a peer-to-peer network, a distributed network, and an Internet of Things (IoT) network. The communication links may be implemented using a variety of wireless and/or wired communication technologies. Transmission media include but are not limited to electrical cables, coaxial cables, twisted pair wires, optical fibers, radio waves, and/or microwaves. Embodiments and examples described in this patent application may be used in one or more types of communications networks.
In recent years, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technologies have emerged as a fast-growing market. Among the various WLAN technologies, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard is the dominating technology and is frequently used for WLANs. The IEEE 802.11 standard includes operations in one or more bands (such as the 2.400-2.500 GHz band and/or the 4.915-5.825 GHz band), and multiple channels within each band. Wi-Fi is an example of a communication technology based on the IEEE 802.11 standard. Other examples of wireless communications technologies include WiGig, Zigbee, and Bluetooth.
Nodes in a communications network include client devices and network devices. A network device is configured to provide, control, facilitate and/or manage the communication links in the communications network. A network device may provide a communication link between a client device and a communications network. The network device and/or client device may initiate the establishment of the communication link. As an example, the client device may transmit a request to connect to the communication network. As another example, the network device may transmit a broadcast message to the client device, even if the client device had not requested access to the communications network. Examples of network devices include an access point (AP), a cable modem, a cellular tower, a router, a switch, and a bridge. An AP that communicates wirelessly with client devices may be referred to as a “wireless AP.”
The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.